Phi Mu Bonnamu, a spinoff of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, was a contest between seven local bands from around Columbia, battling it out for a common cause.
To vote for their favorite band, audience members placed either cash donations or their ticket stubs into that band’s bucket. The members of Phi Mu sorority did not vote; rather, they encouraged others to donate to the cause and cheer on the bands.
At the end of the night, it was the Whiskey Mics who took first place, but the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, which will receive the proceeds, took the ultimate prize.
Leslie Knight, Phi Mu’s philanthropy chair, said she was overjoyed to see the result of the chapter’s plans. More than $8,000 had been raised to go toward the Children’s Miracle Hospital Network, Phi Mu’s philanthropic cause.
“Our philanthropy really came together, and I couldn’t do any of this without the girls helping to get the word out there,” Knight said. “This was my first time planning an event like this … and my last as philanthropy chair.”
Throughout the week, each member sold $5 tickets in advance and raised awareness for the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.
Knight said that the process of recruiting bands was also uplifting, adding that some bands had to be turned away from the main event.
“We were pleasantly surprised with how many of the bands were interested,” Knight said.
Each band started its set off reminding the crowd that the event was benefiting the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital and was for the kids, a reference to the rallying cry of Dance Marathon, which also benefits the hospital.
Bands entertained the audience with diverse tunes, ranging from country to indie rock.
The band Dime in Mind took the stage together as a group for the first time at the show.
Fly With Me brought a sense of community to the show, telling the audience to come closer to the stage and huddle together like a family to stay warm in the nippy November air.
Student Government President Chase Mizzell emceed the event, encouraging dancing in between sets and reminding audience members that the event was For The Kids, chanting the mantra of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Once one group finished a set, the dance floor was packed with audience members-turned-dancers.
Knight said that the event went beyond anything that the sorority had done before, and would be a great way to reach out to some of the students who weren’t a part of Greek Life. She hopes that Bonnamu will turn into an annual event.
“This event will bring in a diverse audience,” Knight said. “We really wanted to reach out to a lot more people on campus.”
Assistant News Editor Hannah Jeffrey contributed reporting to this article